The Spirit of The Hero
by SapphireFireStar
Summary: After saving Hyrule from the darkness of Twilight, Link feels as if his life has lost its purpose. He unknowingly makes a request to Farore to give him purpose again. Farore answers his request by giving him the chance to join a company of Dwarves on their quest to kill a dragon and reclaim their homeland. Will Link find his place amongst his strange new companions? Maybe more?
1. Prologue: To Be a Hero

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit nor any aspect of The Legend of Zelda.**

_**The Spirit of The Hero**_

_**Prologue: To Be a Hero**_

Link was restless.

He knew he had no right to be. His heroic actions had brought peace to Hyrule and desiring things to go back to go to the way they were was just the same as desiring a war. Link knew he should settle down, either in Castle Town or back in Ordon, but he just couldn't do it. Link was just too used to constantly fighting for his life and being on the road that he couldn't be truly happy with the peace he'd brought nearly single handedly. Nearly, as while he struck the final blow to Ganondorf, Link wouldn't have even made it out of his cell if it hadn't been for Midna.

Midna. Goddesses above how he missed her so. For a while he had believed that he loved her, and maybe he had, but he knew that they could never be. Not only was Midna a Twili, she was a princess and princesses had no business being with commoners even if they were heroes. For a long time after Midna had left, Link had been angry with her for leaving him behind even if he understood her reasons. Link was so hurt and angry that he refused to ever love another woman again. Even after he had let go of his anger for Midna, Link still kept his vow and never even looked at women twice anymore. Illia had been the only one to make him second guess himself, but he quickly realized that while he may have had feelings for her before, he could never love her. He was too angry, too jaded, too… feral for the mayor's daughter. Being a wolf for so long had changed him beyond measure, or maybe it was the constant killing of monsters that separated Link from others. Link didn't know and he honestly didn't care anymore.

What Link desired more than anything else, was to put his skills to use. He was a weapon of the Three, he knew and accepted that albeit a bit grudgingly though he never showed his displeasure. He had the capability to save people with his abilities, but now there was no one to save anymore. There were scarcely any monsters anywhere in Hyrule, even in the ruins of Arbiter's Grounds were he sat atop.

Arbiter's Grounds was one of the changing moments in Link's journey, along with the Temple of Time. Sure going into the Forest Temple had been a little unnerving, being the first Temple Link had entered he really had no idea what to expect so that was a given. And of course the Goron Mines had been rather precarious. Link couldn't count the times he had nearly fallen into the lava due to a misstep or the crumbling of rock beneath his feet. The Water Temple was only bad because of those stupid skeleton fish that appeared out of nowhere and kept taking little bites out of him, even the boss was preferable to those nightmares. After Link had entered Arbiters Grounds however, things began to change.

Thinking back on it, Link decided that it must have been the effects of holding the Master Sword. Link knew he was an incarnation of the Spirit of the Hero, and in another lifetime, or several, he had wielded this legendary blade. The blade itself must have some magic of its own – considering it does incredible damage to evil creatures Link thinks that it's highly probable – and holding onto it seemed to have reawakened part of his soul. When he slept, Link dreamt of places he'd never been and things he'd never seen. Sometimes it was of people, others it was of monsters. On rare occasions Link would soar through the sky as easily as any bird and rarer still were the dreams of when he'd sail the sea as easily as if he'd been born on it. Dreams of a forest filled with children were most common surprisingly enough, although Link wasn't sure why.

Another reason Link felt a shift in Arbiters Grounds was because his fighting skills started getting a lot better for no reason at all. Link felt as if a part of him had awoken and all of his 'poor' fighting from before was simply him being rusty. It was strange, but Link didn't question it even when Midna commented on his suddenly extremely proficient way of dispatching his enemies.

The Temple of Time had been another weird experience. When Link had arrived in the Master Sword's chamber in the past, something felt so terribly… wrong. Link almost felt as the chamber should look different, but he had never been there before so he knew he was being stupid. Still, Link could not shake the feeling and it nearly drove him to distraction before Midna could snap him out of it. Link tried to push the feelings of wrongness out of his mind, but he couldn't shake them entirely.

As much as Link hated to admit it, the world had lost its shine. Hyrule felt like a foreign place to Link, now that there were no enemies to fight and no threat of Twilight taking over. Very rarely would Link return to the Mirror Chamber that he used to travel to realm of the Twili with Midna, but whenever he did thoughts of adventure and heroic deeds would fill Link's mind more than ever before. By Farore, Link wished for nothing more than to be useful again, as he'd feared that now that he'd done his task, his life no longer had any meaning.

"All life has meaning, my Chosen," a feminine voice said softly. Link was on his feet next to the mirror with the Master Sword drawn in a heartbeat. "Even the smallest of insects have purpose."

What stood before Link was something he had never imagined he would ever see in his lifetime. Without thinking, Link sheathed his sword and knelt before Farore, Goddess of Courage and his patron Goddess. She shone so brightly with her own inner light, Link couldn't even tell you what she looked like beyond that she was beautiful and had long, flowing hair that was a similar shade of green to that of his tunic. The same colour of the forest.

"Rise, my Chosen," Farore said with the same soft tone as before. Listening to her voice was like listening to a strong, moving melody despite the fact that she was speaking gently to Link.

"My Lady," Link says quietly, voice hoarse and scratchy from misuse. It was the first time Link had spoken to someone without knowing them for many years. Even then, the most he had ever spoken in one time was when he informed the villagers that their children were safe after he found them in Kakariko Village. Only belatedly did Link remember her request to rise but the moment he did so he stood up instantly.

To Link's immense shock, Farore giggled at him. Link didn't know if Goddesses were supposed to giggle but he figured that since she was a Goddess she could do whatever she wanted.

"What brings you here, if I may ask?" Link asked carefully. He didn't want to disrespect Farore by making her think he was questioning her. Link honestly was just curious.

Farore laughed this time, instead of just giggling softly. "Curiosity is not a sin, Link. I am here because I have heard your wish, and have found a way for you to use your abilities to aid others once more."

Link was, quite simply, floored. Link had only barely thought that wish before Farore showed up, and suddenly she was able to do all this for him? Why would she do something like this for him? Farore just sent him a gentle smile when Link thought that and he couldn't help but feel warmth flood in his chest, the same he got as a child when Rusl told him that he was proud of something Link had done.

"My Chosen, Link," Farore started, "I do this for you because you have done so much for the world in all of your lives. Never have you asked for anything but to help people and to be of use, but you had never asked directly for my assistance before now so I was never able to give you what you desired most. Should you accept my proposal, you will be sent to a new world where your skills will be of great use."

Link's head was spinning. A new world? The idea appealed to Link more than he cared to admit. Shouldn't he feel more guilty about leaving Zelda, Illia, Collin and the others behind? Link decided to listen more before he made up his mind, but he knew in his heart he had already made his decision.

Farore just smiled knowingly. "There is another world, known as Middle Earth. It is a world similar yet different to Hyrule. Currently, there is a watchful peace over the world but evil is stirring and will not be quiet for long. You would be sent to join a quest that aims to take down a dragon that has displaced an entire nation of Dwarves. Following the quest there will be a rise in evil before a new quest will be undertaken, where more fowl beasts will be met and wars will be fought. You have the power to change the fate of many, and you will be given gifts from myself should you choose to accept.

"First, you will be allowed to take all of your weapons with you. Weapons such as bombs will have a limited amount, but I will give you more bags to carry them. Even the Master Sword can go with you, for it will not be needed in this world for some time. The weapons from the time you forgot will also be available to you.

"Epona will also join you in Middle Earth, and she will live as long as you do unless she is killed in battle. Your own life will be lengthened so that you may complete your tasks and live your life with the ones whom you love before your soul returns to its sleep once again. Another companion from a past life will also be given to you, a Loftwing you named Aella, meaning 'stormwind' or 'whirlwind'. I will give you sufficient memories so that you will know what to do when you need her even though she will be changed once you get to Middle Earth.

"Finally, I will restore all of your memories that you had forgotten before arriving in Ordon. Your memories had started to return on their own but I will reveal them all to you and give you time to process them."

Link could barely keep up. Dwarves? Love? Loftwing? Time forgotten? Link had no idea what any of that meant but he struggled to process it all. Link struggled for something to say and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Will I be able to change into a wolf?" Maybe speaking without thinking wasn't such a good idea after all. Farore was giving him the opportunity of a lifetime and he was asking for more. In his defense, that was one of the things he missed most about his adventure, and he greatly desired to be able to change into the sacred beast once again. It was incredibly freeing, running as a wolf, and quite indescribable.

Farore considered the question. "I had quite forgotten about magic altogether, that's more Nayru or Din's specialty. I will strengthen your capacity for magic, since you will encounter it in Middle Earth a fair bit. You'll be able to turn into a wolf using your own power, as well as use the magic from the time you forgot besides the transportation spells. You'll be able to create warp points with Farore's Wind and the power of the Ocarina of Time, but only a few. I'll give you a few other spells, as well as the knowledge of them, when I send you over, as well as strengthen your ability to resist subtle magic. Your Triforce Piece will help you with some of it, for it has its own power, but you'll learn about that later. The Wizards there will also be able to help you learn more magic, should you choose to learn more."

Link thought about everything. This was what he had been waiting for. But now that the time had come, did he really want to leave everyone behind?

"What if evil comes back to Hyrule while I'm gone?" Link asked. No matter how much the idea appealed to him, Link would not leave Hyrule if it were going to be in danger in his absence.

Farore beamed at Link, nearly blinding him with the radiance of her smile. "Yet again you prove why you are my Chosen," Farore said proudly. "Hyrule will be safe for many generations yet. No one will be harmed because you were not there to protect him or her."

That sealed it for Link. After receiving permission from Farore, Link wrote several letters to his friends so that they would not worry about him.

The first letter Link wrote was to Zelda:

_Your Highness, _

_The Goddess Farore has asked me if I would use my skills to help others in need. Since Hyrule is now at peace and will remain that way for many generations – Farore herself has said it will be so – I have decided to leave Hyrule and do what I do best, save others by destroying evil._

_I thank you once again for all of the assistance you gave Midna and myself during our quest. I am truly sorry we could not have done more for you to protect you from Ganondorf._

_May your reign be long and prosperous,_

_Link, Hero of Twilight_

Link didn't like using his titles, but for formal matters it was necessary. Link held no ill will against Zelda, but for some reason he felt a bit distant from her ever since he started having dreams of his past lives. This distance was reflective in his tone and Link wished that he could've written a slightly more heartfelt letter to the one who had done so much for him. Zelda would understand though, she had the Triforce of Wisdom after all and would see what Link couldn't put into words.

Next was Rusl, the man who was like a father to him:

_Dear Rusl,_

_I could never hide from you how difficult it was for me to settle back into a simple farm life after everything was over. You understand me better than anyone and knew that in my heart, I would never again be happy as a simple ranch hand. _

_Farore has heard the desire in my heart and given me an offer I can't refuse. There are other worlds out there beyond Hyrule and even Twilight, believe it or not. One of these worlds needs my help and I could not deny them even if I wanted to. You, more than anyone, know that I cannot stop myself from trying to save everyone and my adventures have only strengthened that trait._

_I can never thank you enough for everything you have done for me in my life. You were everything I could ever hope for as a father and I will never forget you no matter how far away I am._

_I leave all of my possessions to you. I only ask that you buy Collin a horse of his own when he is too large for his pony… using my money of course._

_Thanks again… Dad._

_Love,_

_Link_

Link struggled to write that letter and his eyes burned suspiciously when he wrote the last bit, but he didn't allow the tears to fall before he moved on to the next letter. If he broke down now he would never get them all written.

Link had three letters left to write now, one to Collin, one to Illia and one for the rest of the village.

_Collin,_

_I've been asked to help save some more people, just like how I saved you and the others not too long ago. I'm writing you this letter to say goodbye and to tell you how much of a little brother you are to me._

_You are the bravest person I've ever met Collin, not even the Princess is as brave as you. I am proud to have known you and I know you will grow into a great man one day._

_There is nothing left for me to teach you anymore. You are becoming an expert rider, all you need is more practice and you are already so responsible so I know you will do it. I ask that since I will no longer be able to, could you look after the others for me? I just want everyone to be happy and I know I can count on you to take my place as the village hero since I am leaving._

_Being a hero doesn't mean you have to fight with a sword, it just means that you do what you can to help others. You were a hero the day you saved Beth from being trampled and you were a hero the day you helped herd back a goat that had gotten lose. You are a hero every day to your mother when you help with your younger sister and I hope that you never stop doing these acts of kindness._

_I love you, brother, and I wish you all the best in the world._

_Link_

Link didn't try to hold back the tears anymore. He just let them fall.

_Illia,_

_I'm… I'm sorry that I couldn't make things work between us. Despite everything we've been through, you're still so innocent and I've changed too much. I know you might think these excuses are weak but I don't know what else to say._

_I'm leaving Hyrule, and I won't be coming back. I'm taking Epona with me and we are going off to new lands to help people that need my help. I can never be truly happy unless I'm fighting for the light. I know that now. I would never wish war on anyone and Hyrule will be at peace for a long time so I must go out and find a new cause to fight for._

_I'm so sorry._

_Link_

Another letter that Link wasn't too happy with, but couldn't find a way to change it. Link wanted to say so much more to Illia, but he didn't know how. Perhaps this was best, though. Link had always been a man of few words, so why should his goodbye be any different?

Link wrote a brief, general letter for the rest of the town and whoever else was interested. He explained what he was doing and why and that he wished them all well and that it was nice knowing them. Link briefly considered writing a letter to Renado or Telma, but figured that they would find out on their own and would understand. After sealing the letters, Link turned to Farore.

"I'm ready."

Farore smiled at Link before closing her eyes and starting to chant. Link had no idea what the language was but it sounded quite beautiful in his opinion, but that could just be because it was a Goddess who was speaking it. Link could feel the buildup of magic in the air, swirling around him and even through him. He had no idea why, but the magic felt vaguely familiar for some reason. Almost as if he'd used it before.

The chant came to a close and before Link could even blink, a multitude of swirling lights appeared around him. The lights shone in every colour imaginable and flew around him once, twice, then he was gone with the lights of magic shooting off into the sky, never to return to Hyrule again.

Farore smile and gracefully picked up the letters Link had dropped.

"Goodluck, my Chosen," Farore said to the empty air before she too, vanished in a swirl of lights.

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

**SapphireFireStar: Here we go, another story. I'm writing this mostly just for fun and as practice, but I would still appreciate any feedback be it positive or negative. Hope you enjoyed it :)**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Quest

_**The Spirit of The Hero**_

_**Chapter 1: A New Quest**_

It was dark. Link was swirling through space and time and it felt like he was spinning head over heels down a very tight tube. Thankfully, being outside of reality meant that his stomach wouldn't lurch with every tumble he took.

Flashes of visions, memories, began to fill Link's mind. Slowly at first and then they were rushing by at the speed of a flying arrow. Arriving in a forest glade with his mother, only a babe when she left him with the Great Deku Tree. Growing up fairyless amongst the forest children. Saria. Mido. The dark man of his dreams. Meeting Navi. Inside the Deku Tree. Saying goodbye to Saria on the bridge. Leaving the forest for the first time. Meeting the Princess. Darunia. King Dodongo. Lord Jabu Jabu. Getting his ass handed to him by Ganondorf to protect the Princess's escape. The Temple of Time and the Master Sword. Waking up. Sheik. Rescuing Epona. Phantom Ganon. The Temples. Losing his friends to the call of being a sage one by one. Sheik. Zelda. Defeating Ganon with Zelda's help. Going back in time. Looking for Navi. Termina. The endless three days. The falling moon. Majora. Leaving Termina. Getting lost in a strange forest and falling down another portal into Hyrule many, _many_ years into the future but not remembering anything due to a hit to his head when he hit the bottom. Meeting Rusl for the first time.

All these memories swarmed Link's mind, but he was able to keep up. Barely. It shocked Link to discover that not only was he the Hero of Twilight, he was also the Hero of Time and the Savior of Termina! Link didn't really know what to think about being the hero he had only ever idolized – besides the times he was angry at him for not being able to kill Ganondorf but that was really short lived since he found out that that's pretty much impossible.

What shocked Link even more than being a legendary hero – more than he thought he was anyways – was that fact that he had been in love with Sheik. A man. Link had loved a man. Well, as much as a child forced to grow into a man can love. Link hadn't loved Zelda when she revealed herself to be Sheik, he had only loved the Sheikah warrior that had guided him through his trials. Link didn't know then how he couldn't love Zelda since she and Link were the same person, and he didn't know now either. Perhaps it was the betrayal Link felt when he discovered that Sheik had never existed. Link doubted he would understand why he didn't love that Zelda for a very long time.

Link also gained other knowledge. Different spells, how to ride a Loftwing, the common language of Middle Earth. All this and more entered Link's mind and he knew he wouldn't be able to process all of the information at once.

Suddenly, after what felt like years but at the same time only a few minutes, Link was on his feet again in the middle of a large, grassy field. It reminded Link a bit of Hyrule field, and the thought made him happy and a little homesick all at once. At least this world wasn't too different from the world he came from… either of them.

Link felt a presence behind him, but he wasn't worried since he knew without looking that it was Epona. The sound of a bird crying out made Link look up and for the first time he laid eyes on one of the most magnificent creatures he'd ever seen. The bird looked slightly different from the Loftwings in his given memories. It looked to be a cross between a Loftwing and a giant eagle or hawk. Crimson feathers with decorated wingtips and a white underbelly, a long neck and a slightly slimmer-than-eagle build were all Loftwing, along with legs that would support walking on land. The talons on said legs, its massive wingspan, fierce eyes and beak (which was longer than an eagles but shorter than a Loftwing) all resembled that of a fierce bird of prey. While some might think the giant bird was strange to look at, Link thought that she was absolutely beautiful. Link was also surprised when he realized that he could 'feel' her in his mind. It was a small presence that didn't allow either of them to read each other's thoughts but could be used for communication if need be.

Now that Link was in this 'Middle Earth', he realized that he had no idea where to go. A quick check in the new saddlebags Epona sported helped with that since there was a map and a letter addressed to a 'Gandalf'. Link was surprised to see that the letters were Ancient Hylian. This Gandalf must be pretty special if he knew the language, only the brightest of scholars and the royal family knew Ancient Hylian. Link himself only knew the language because he'd lived in that time.

Link got up on Epona and followed the directions on the map. Apparently, he was just outside a little place called 'Hobbiton', in the Shire. Link had been given a vague knowledge of Middle Earth, enough to know that there were men, Hobbits, Elves and Dwarrows on the side of the light. Oh and Wizards, mustn't forget them. They get terribly angry if they're forgotten, apparently.

By the time Link reached Hobbiton, it was dark out and could barely read the directions to a particular house where he supposed he'd meet Gandalf at. After sending Epona back out into the field, Link turned around and started up the path.

Link wondered why a Wizard would be in a place like the Shire. The Shire looked even more peace loving than Ordon with its rolling hills and simple homes. Surely no evil would strike here? Link vowed to himself that he would do his best to make sure no evil touched what were surely a gentle folk that knew nothing of monsters or battles. Something about the Shire reminded Link so much of his past life, when he lived with the forest children. Perhaps it was the abundance of vegetation surroundings the homes, or maybe it was the fact that many homes were built right out of the earth itself like how the Kokiri had made homes out of the trees. Both the Kokiri and Hobbits were truly innocent in the ways of the world and Link vowed he would protect the Hobbits in ways that he couldn't have helped his forest friends.

Before long, Link reached the top of a very large hill and was standing in front of a green door that had a strange rune carving at the bottom. Link could hear loud laughter inside and could also feel a strange, powerful presence within this particular hole in the ground. Fighting so many powerful, magical enemies had given Link a bit of a sense to them, his Triforce of Courage and wolf senses only enhancing that particular trait of his.

Link double-checked that he was at the right house before he knocked on the door. There was immediate silence on the other side of the door, making Link wonder for a brief moment if they were expecting him. The surprised face of a rather old man with a long gray cloak and beard told him that no, he hadn't been expected.

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

Kíli was eager to see his Uncle Thorin again after having been on the road for so long. It was a little surprising that Thorin was here so early, but Kíli barely thought about that as he walked into the hall while Gandalf opened the door to reveal –

An… Elf? Kíli was slightly alarmed to see such a strange visitor in the Shire, as he must be a visitor because there was no way Bilbo knew him. He was garbed rather strangely in a forest green tunic and a matching, long green hat, the like of which he'd never seen before. The only thing normal about the stranger's clothes was the light coloured breeches – which in itself was strange since most breeches were darkly coloured – a layer of chain mail between the tunic and a white undershirt, brown arm bracers and light brown boots. A strange sword was strapped to his back and Kíli could just barely see a shield beyond the sword.

"Can I help you?" Gandalf asked, sounding just as perplexed as everyone else in the room felt. The stranger said nothing as he handed a letter to the Wizard.

Gandalf slowly reached out and took the letter from the stranger's awaiting hand and brought it into the light so he could read it, allowing Kíli a brief glimpse of a strange writing he'd never seen before. Kíli was shocked when Gandalf actually murmured out loud, "Good gracious me!" before he swiftly opened the letter and started to read while beckoning the stranger to step inside.

The stranger stepped inside, allowing Kíli to get a better look at him beyond his clothing. He was taller than a Dwarf, but not tall enough to be a man, which conflicted with what Kíli knew about Elves since he had always been told that they were very tall. The pointed – pierced? – ears didn't lie however, even if they were much longer and sharper than what Kíli imagined they'd be. Kíli was shocked at just how youthful the Elf looked, immortality indeed! He didn't even looked as if he'd reached his majority! Kíli couldn't deny that the stranger's face was mildly attractive… objectively of course! The stranger's face was completely blank as he took in each Dwarf, and one Hobbit, with a quick glance. Kíli was most unnerved when he met the Elf's eyes, they were so oddly shaped and so… so feral! It was like looking into the eyes of a blue-eyed wolf as it sized you up to be either a meal or a threat. The eyes were distinctly out of place on such a youthful face that in that moment, Kíli full-heartedly agreed with Thorin's belief that Elves were strange folk indeed.

It took only a minute for Gandalf to read the letter and the second he was done he folded it up and stuffed it into a pocket in his robes. Kíli and the rest of the Dwarves all looked to Gandalf for direction, not knowing if this stranger was a friend or foe. The Wizard shocked them all by bowing deeply to the stranger before speaking in a strange tongue. Kíli looked at Balin, one of the only Dwarves that knew any Elvish at all, but the aged Dwarf looked just as baffled as everyone else. The stranger looked slightly embarrassed at whatever the Wizard was saying, but beyond that his face remained rather stoic.

Gandalf straightened and extended his arm after Link didn't move. "You have travelled far and are no doubt in need of rest and nourishment before we set out on the morrow. I shall introduce you to everyone once the last member of our company has arrived."

The stranger didn't react so Gandalf said more words in that strange tongue, presumably translating what he just said. Did this Elf not know Westron for all the years he had been on this earth?

"An Elf?" the Hobbit asked breathlessly, unable to contain himself any longer.

Most of the Dwarves scowled at the words, but Gandalf only shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my dear Bilbo. Master Link is something else entirely that I shall wait to explain until our last Dwarf arrives. Dori, do you think you could go find a chair for Master Link? Let's all head back to the kitchen for now, we might as well start eating."

Kíli let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Gandalf proclaimed the stranger to be a non-Elf. Thorin would have been furious if he arrived only to find one of his 'mortal enemies' eating and drinking with his kin. Kíli was still a little suspicious, for what else could this stranger be as he was definitely no man or Dwarf? He decided that it would be best to just trust Gandalf and wait for an explanation. Oh how his mother would be proud of him, only a short ways into their journey and already Kíli was acting less rashly than he had before he left!

Looking around, Kíli noticed that he wasn't the only one that was slightly suspicious of the stranger. Dwalin kept a close eye on the not-Elf when he didn't remove his weapons as Gandalf showed him to the kitchen. The promise of good food and lots of ale seemed to but the distrust of the stranger out of most of his kin's minds, temporarily at least, as soon enough everyone was behaving as loudly and cheerfully as they had been before the knock on the door. Kíli decided to follow the others and enjoyed the first full meal he'd had in several weeks. Those Hobbits knew their food, that's for sure. Whether or not they knew anything about burglaring was another matter altogether.

The meal passed in typical, cheerful, Dwarven fashion. Lots of food was thrown about and the table-walking Fíli readily passed out ales to start off a drinking and belching contest was underway. Kíli ate like he'd never seen food in his life, so delicious the meal was. He'd have to remember to thank the Hobbit later.

Kíli watched out of the corner of his eye as Link just quietly ate his meal, dodging food here and there when it came his way. As Link ate he subtly examined everyone at the table more carefully, if Kíli hadn't been looking for it he wouldn't have even noticed the non-Elf was doing it. Kíli was mildly unnerved to watch someone so young being so guarded, Link never even let his back to Bilbo for Aluë's sake! He wondered idly what horrors Link had gone through before the matter was pushed from his mind as another ale was handed to him.

After the meal the Dwarves started to scatter a bit, although each held onto their freshly filled ale as they moved about the house. Kíli had only just grabbed his pipe when Fíli threw the first plate to him. His mischievous side instantly roused, he quickly started tossing dishes and flinging cutlery while bursting into song to match the beat some of the others were making in the kitchen. It was hilarious to watch the little Hobbit get so flustered about dishes, of all things! Link surprised them all by deftly catching a wayward plate that would have struck his head before tossing it in the direction of another Dwarf, all without even looking up the little blue instrument he'd been staring at blankly!

The song ended with lots of laughter at Bilbo's shocked face when he saw that all the dishes had been cleaned up. Link had wandered into the kitchen with the rest and out of the corner of his eye Kíli thought he saw a ghost of a smile on the non-Elf's face, the little blue instrument nowhere in sight. Kíli was starting to get the impression that Link either barely felt any emotions at all, or he just hid them very well. Both concepts were foreign to the young Dwarf as Dwarves felt very passionately and never made any attempts to hide what they were feeling.

Just then, there was a loud knock at the door. The laughter stopped almost immediately and Link tensed as he looked in the direction of the door.

Gandalf's ominous muttering of, "He's here," was a bit much, Kíli thought. He'd already said that when they thought Thorin was here the first time.

Everyone, even the little Hobbit, followed Gandalf out of the room and to the front door, but no one actually got too close to the door. Kíli not so discreetly watched as Link went around to stand by a different doorway with his arms crossed across his chest. He also noted that it was the best strategic position in the room for an outsider as he could keep an eye on everyone and also had a possible escape route.

Gandalf opened the round door, revealing a taller, prouder looking Dwarf of regal bearing. The Dwarf had long, braided black hair with some infrequent gray mixing in and wore rather impressive furs beneath his robes. It was Thorin Oakenshield, son Thrain, son of Thrór, King Under the Mountain… once they reclaimed said mountain.

"Gandalf," Thorin as he looked upon the Wizard in a strange accent. A barely visible smirk appeared on the Dwarf's lips before he stepped inside. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Bilbo made a bit of a fuss about how there was no mark on the door but Gandalf admitted to putting a mark on the door earlier that day. Kíli smiled a little at the Wizard's casual way of meddling with the lives of the common folk. His smile widened when Thorin smiled warmly in greeting to him and his brother Fíli in greeting before handing Kíli his cloak.

Gandalf introduced Bilbo to the new Dwarf, announcing him as 'Thorin Oakenshield' and the leader of this gathering of Dwarves in the Hobbit's own home.

"So…" Thorin said with a slight air of curiosity mixed with something vaguely resembling disappointment. "…This is the Hobbit." Thorin began to circle the Hobbit, like a predator would as it surveyed its prey, as he started questioning him about his fighting capabilities. Bilbo looked mildly confused and quite a bit intimidated, but he still held his ground. Kíli chuckled a bit when Thorin called Bilbo a grocer, for indeed he probably wasn't far off the mark.

Just then, Thorin caught sight of Link and his entire body stiffened with rage.

"An Elf?!" Thorin all but roared. The Dwarf looked ready to gut Link where he stood, fury blazing in his icy blue eyes. The glare Thorin was giving Link was quite intimidating, but the other just stood there impassively. Kíli didn't know if he thought Link to be very brave or very foolish for not being affected by one of Thorin's infamous glares, perhaps he was both.

"What are you doing here, _Elf_?!" Thorin demanded, saying the word 'Elf' as if it were a vile curse.

Kíli watched, as there was an almost visible change in Link's countenance. Although Link had no idea what Thorin had shouted at him, he clearly understood the tone and the implied insult and wasn't happy with it. Link sent Thorin an icy glare of his own, one that was equally as frightening to be looked upon with as Thorin's, perhaps even more so. To the Dwarf's credit, he did not back down despite the flash of unease that was visible on his face. When Thorin didn't back down, Link's glower took on an almost animalistic appearance and his eyes darkened ominously as a strange shadow spread across his face. Kíli was not ashamed to admit he looked away from the glare even though it wasn't directed at him, the gaze was simply that unnerving. He wasn't alone in his discomfort as even Thorin looked away and everyone else shifted nervously.

"Explain," Thorin demanded as he looked at Gandalf in a more subdued tone of voice even if he was still angry. The instant Thorin had looked away, Link's face shifted back to its normal passivity, as if the whole change had been a mere illusion of Kíli's mind.

Gandalf cleared his throat before he spoke, as if acknowledging the uncomfortable silence that had settled in the entryway. "Thorin, allow me to introduce you to Master Link, who's titles are much too long to say all at once at the moment. Link has come from a distant world at the behest of his Goddess to aid Middle Earth against a coming darkness that she has forseen. Link is not an Elf, in fact he is a being known as a Hylian from the country of Hyrule and we are most fortunate that he left his life of hard-won peace to come to us."

Thorin turned to Link once again, however the anger in his eyes had vanished and was replaced with suspicion and skepticism. "You are so sure of his capabilities? He looks old enough to still be aiding his mother with whatever inane task she might have, not fumbling around with a sword."

"Thorin!" Gandalf said sharply. "Do not insult Master Link! While he may be young, he has done more in his life than you can possibly even begin to imagine! And I urge you to leave family relations out of your disproval, they are not befitting in the slightest."

Thorin looked slightly abashed, but he didn't back down. "Can the lad not speak for himself? Or will you always be coming to his defense?"

The whole conversation, Link just stood there looking mildly uncomfortable. It struck Kíli then how difficult it must be to be in a strange place and unable to speak the language.

Gandalf came to Link's rescue once again. "Link does not speak Westron naturally, his mother tongue is a language not spoken by anyone in Middle Earth besides myself and a select few. His Goddess gave Link a translation spell, but it takes a while for the spell to take effect since it needs to settle deep in his mind. I'm not sure when he will be able to communicate fully in Westron, but I've been informed that he is by nature a man of few words."

Thorin 'hmmphed' at Gandalf's explanation before he turned and walked towards the dining room. Kíli placed his Uncle's coat on a rack on the wall before following the others into the dining hall. Most of the lights had been doused, leaving only a few candles along the table to provide poor illumination for the room. All the Dwarves shuffled in behind their leader and took their seats. Kíli sat next to Fíli near the opposite end of the table from Thorin while Link and Bilbo where left standing as they had run out of chairs. Bilbo stood close to Gandalf while Link went and stood between Bombur and Kíli.

While Thorin ate, Gandalf quickly pointed out all of the Dwarves for Bilbo and Link's benefit. Even with the language barrier, Link seemed to understand what Gandalf was doing as he looked at each Dwarf around the table in turn when Gandalf announced their names. When Thorin was mostly finished eating, Balin started to question him about the important meeting he had attended before coming here. Unfortunately, Dáin would not assist them in their quest. This was horrible yet not unexpected news and now they were going to have to go up against a dragon with only thirteen Dwarves, a Wizard, a Hobbit, and a… _Hylian_. Smaug wiped out probably more than ten times than many Dwarves when he first attacked Erebor, not to mention the complete annihilation of Dale.

"You're… going on a quest?" Bilbo asked slightly hesitantly from his place behind Gandalf. Instead of answering immediately, Gandalf asked the Hobbit for more light in the room that had darkened considerably after someone decided to only light the room using candles.

Gandalf pulled an old piece of folded paper out of his pocket as he started speaking. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands…"

Gandalf now had the full attention of the entire table. Even Thorin looked up from his meal and at the paper Gandalf was holding in interest as he moved to set it down in a place Dwalin had cleared.

"…lies a single solitary peak." Gandalf finished as he pointed at a depiction of a mountain with a something red drawn over top of it. Kíli wanted to get a closer look at the map but he was much too far away unfortunately. Out of the corner of his eye, Kíli saw Link arch his head up a bit in an attempt to get a better view, but unless Hylian eyesight was as good as Elves, Link wasn't seeing any more than Kíli. Hylian eyesight must be good as Link's eyes widened slightly, before he stepped back a bit and lowered his head in thought. There was a strange glint in the Hylian's eyes that unsettled Kíli, so he quickly cast his attention back to the rest of the table.

Gloin spoke up about 'portents' which made everybody, Kíli included, groan about hearing the prophecy for what felt like the thousandth time. Oin spoke up about ravens and prophecy, again, so Kíli watched in amusement as Gandalf lit his pipe with fire started between his own fingers. Kíli wished he could be a Wizard if only for that trick.

Bilbo was clearly unnerved by the idea of a 'beast' and inquired about it.

Bofur, answered Bilbo's question. "Well that will be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." At Bilbo's lack of recognition Bofur continued. "Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks… extremely fond of precious metals –"

"Yes I know what a dragon is," Bilbo interrupted, ringing his hands nervously.

Ori, suddenly stood up. "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"

The other Dwarves let out exclamations of amusement and annoyance at the young Dwarf's words. Kíli just smiled faintly. Ori was a scribe and he didn't even own a sword, so how could he expect to threaten a dragon? Kíli didn't judge him too harshly since he had hardly any real combat experience than Ori, but at least _he_ had training and a proper weapon. His older brother Dori quickly pulled down Ori back into his seat and conversation resumed at the head of the table.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us," Balin chastised, "but we number just thirteen! And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

Kíli was rather insulted by Balin's words.

"I've been training for years for this moment," Kíli said angrily, mostly to Fíli. "I'm able to hold my own against Dwalin now, and he thinks I'm incompetent."

Fíli seemed to agree with him although Kíli couldn't make out if he said anything since he was still looking forwards and everybody else was voicing their miscontent.

Finally, Fíli had enough. In spirit of the Dwarf Prince he was, Fíli, slammed his hands on the table and drew everyone's attention to him. "We may be few in number," Fíli said passionately, "but we're fighters. All of us! To the last Dwarf!" Fíli slammed his hand down again for emphasis.

"And do you forget we have a Wizard in our company!" Kíli said excitedly, supporting his brother in his attempt to raise the hopes of the company. "Gandalf will have killed, hundreds of dragons in his time."

Gandalf looked slightly shocked but quickly spoke up. "Oh well, no I uh, I wouldn't say, uh…"

"How many?" Dori asked.

"What?" Gandalf asked.

"How many dragons have you killed?"

Gandalf seemed to recover himself when he looked at Link. "It is not the task of a Wizard to kill dragons, though we are capable of doing so. The task of slaying dragons is that of a hero's, who are quite hard to find nowadays. Luckily, a hero seems to have found us."

Gandalf gestured to Link, who nodded back at nodded back in response to the Wizard's kind words. All of the Dwarves, Kíli included, were looking at Link with varying degrees of skepticism.

"_You've_ killed dragons?!" Dwalin asked skeptically, voicing everyone else's thoughts.

Gandalf repeated the question in Link's language, and in response the Hylian nodded.

There was a stunned silence for several, long seconds before Kíli spoke up in disbelief.

"How many? Have you even been _alive_ long enough to see a dragon?"

This time when Gandalf translated, Link didn't respond right away. His eyes took on a haunted, faraway look, as if remembering some great, horrible nightmare he had lived through. They made him look much older than he was and in that moment, Kíli could actually almost believe that Link had actually survived a dragon attack. Thorin and Balin's eyes looked the same when they spoke of the attack on Erebor or even the Battle of Azanulbizar to a lesser degree.

"Go on," Dori urged, bringing Link's eyes back to the present, "give us a number."

Suddenly, all the Dwarves were shouting. Kíli was shouting at Dori for actually believing that this… child could have slain a dragon, despite his earlier thoughts. He doubted Dori could hear him however, since the only thing that Kíli could hear clearly was Bifur's random shouts of Khuzdul that made absolutely no sense. Thorin's shout made everyone shut up and sit down immediately, waiting for their king to speak.

"If we have read these signs," Thorin started after everyone was seated again, "do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours, have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk: perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected." Kíli doubted a dragon would just up and leave his hoard but he could have died of old age, how long did they live for anyways? "Do we sit back, while others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we sieze this chance to take back Erebor?!"

Kíli responded to Thorin's question with enthusiasm, as did the entire table besides Gandalf and Balin.

"You forget," Balin said, "the front gate is sealed." Thorin sat down, slightly deflated at the news. Erebor _was_ a place then. "There is no way into the mountain."

Gandalf intervened here. "That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true."

With a flourish, Gandalf produced a large key. It looked important to Kíli but… no. It couldn't possibly be…

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked in awe.

"It was given to me by your father," Gandalf said, looking at Thorin now. "By Thrain. For safekeeping. 'Tis yours, now."

Gandalf slowly handed Thorin the key, who took it with great care as if it were the most precious thing he'd ever held. Thorin grasped the key more firmly before Fíli spoke up.

"If there is a key, there must be a door."

"These runes speak of a hidden passage," Gandalf said as he pointed towards the map with his pipe, "to the lower halls."

"There's another way in," Kíli said softly yet happily as he patted his brother on the back. The action made Fíli turn to him, but he avoided his gaze as he looked around. Only after everyone had looked back at Gandalf did Kíli flash Fïli a smile and gave him a quick squeeze before focusing back on Gandalf.

"Well if we can find it," Gandalf said, looking at Kíli briefly before looking at the map again, therefore missing the interaction altogether. "But Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf heaved a great sigh. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it but… there are others in Middle Earth, who can.

"Originally, the task I had in mind required a great deal stealth and no small amount of courage," Gandalf gave Bilbo a weighted look before continuing on, "but with Master Link's arrival I have thought of a new plan. Should Master Link decide not to help us, or he is unable to, we will use that one as a back up. If we are careful, and clever, that task could be done but it will involve a lot more risk."

"That's why we need a burglar," Ori said, being the first to figure out Gandalf's plan.

Bilbo made a noise of agreement as he looked at the map. "A good one too, an expert I'd imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin asked, leaning forward.

Bilbo didn't realize that Gloin was talking to him for a few seconds and even looked behind him to see who the Dwarf was talking to. "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert!" Oin said excitedly, clearly mishearing the Hobbit even with the ear thing.

"Me?" Bilbo said, bewildered. "Uh, No. No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life."

Never? Even as a child Bilbo never stole a cookie from the jar? Kíli knew that Bilbo was a soft kind of being, but really Hobbits must gentler that he thought if Bilbo was so worked up about being considered a burglar.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Mister Baggins," Balin said, "He's hardly burglar material."

Bilbo made an agreeing nod with his head, clearly pleased that Balin didn't want him to help with their quest.

"Aye," Dwalin said as he critically looked at the Hobbit. "The wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves."

Bilbo pointed at Dwalin and nodded at the rest, indicating that he thought they should all accept Dwalin's opinion and leave him be. Everyone, including Kíli, had their own two silvers on whether or not Bilbo should join and why. The argument set off Gandalf's temper, which was a scary sight indeed.

"Enough!" Gandalf said loudly as he stood up. The air around him blackened as the Wizard's power leaked out, making him seem even taller and more intimidating to the Dwarves than he already was. Kíli was impressed by the amount of power the 'old man' held in his body, and reminded himself to never get on the Wizard's bad side "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar than a burglar he is!"

Everyone shrank back slightly from Gandalf's temper, even Thorin although his was only very subtle. Kíli wanted to look at Link's reaction, but he was too alarmed to move a muscle. The Wizard swiftly regained his cool and continued to speak. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can past unseen by most if they choose. And while a dragon, is accustomed to the smell of _Dwarf_, the scent of a _Hobbit_ is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage."

The whole time Gandalf was speaking, Bilbo was looking rather alarmed and seemed to want to interrupt the Wizard but was afraid of his temper.

"You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins. There is a lot more to him than appearances suggest and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know… including himself."

Thorin looked over at Balin for advice, but the aged Dwarf had none. "You must trust me on this," Gandalf said to Thorin, making the Dwarf take his eyes off Balin as he turned his attention to the Wizard.

After a long moment in which Thorin seemed to wonder if he should trust the Wizard, Thorin agreed. "Very well, we'll do it your way. Give him the contract."

Bilbo started to protest and there was a great deal of movement and laughter amongst the Dwarves as Balin pulled out a folded up piece of parchment that Link guessed was the contract. Everyone was happy that they had broken the unlucky number of thirteen, even if it was with a Hobbit. Balin explained what was in the contract as he handed it over. Thorin grabbed the contract from Balin's outstretched hand and without even looking, thrust it into the protesting Hobbit's chest.

"F-funeral arrangements?" Bilbo asked worriedly but took the contract anyways.

Thorin leaned towards Gandalf to have a private word with the Wizard while Bilbo walked away slightly as he started reading the contract. Bilbo muttered aloud as he read the contract while Kíli listened to the light conversation going about the table, for once not actively joining in.

"Incineration?!" Bilbo asked, looking back at the table.

"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur stated casually, as if the idea didn't phase him in the slightest. Kíli knew better, only an idiot wouldn't be afraid of the bane of Erebor.

Balin also noticed Bilbo's condition. "You alright laddie?"

"Yeah," Bilbo said as he started breathing quicker and bent down a bit before standing back up. "Feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace, with wings," Bofur said as he stood up and leant against the doorway. Kíli couldn't tell if Bofur was trying to comfort the Hobbit, or scare him.

Regardless of Bofur's intentions, Bilbo was starting to hyperventilate from the Dwarf's words. "I, I, I need air."

Bofur ignored him. "Flash of light, searing pain then POF! You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Bilbo was nearly convulsing now and Kíli was afraid that he might pass out. The Hobbit stilled, shuddered once, stilled again before saying, "Nope," and fainting dead away and collapsing to the ground. Gandalf made a comment to Bofur and quickly went to find somewhere other than the floor Bilbo to rest on until he woke up.

"And what about you, _hero_," Thorin said in an odd tone of voice. "Do _heroes_ sign contracts to ensure their heroic deeds? Or do you just go off and try to kill a dragon and hope for praise, rewards and recognition afterwards. What do you hope to gain by joining our quest?"

Gandalf translated the question, having just returned from helping Bilbo to a chair until he woke up. Link's expression remained passive although Kíli thought it might have looked slightly strained. Did this guy ever show emotion openly? When Link didn't answer right away, Gandalf spoke again and this time the Hylian nodded to whatever Gandalf said.

"Master Link was sent here, by a higher power," Gandalf explained. The others remembered the Wizard's words from before but Kíli was still skeptical. "Link had just recently vanquished a terrible evil from Hyrule, his home, after facing many dangerous foes and accomplishing incredible feats. However, heroes are often the only ones that are not satisfied with peace, even after they've given up everything they know to gain that peace. Master Link asked his Goddess to send him to a place where he might be of assistance. We are incredibly fortunate that Farore sent Master Link to our as true heroes are incredibly capable and do not ask to be rewarded for their efforts, as they believe that simply helping others is reward enough."

"That's impossible," Thorin said dismissively. "No one would not want what Smaug protects, not even a _hero_. I refuse to believe that you will kill a dragon for someone else at no cost, if you could kill one that is."

Gandalf hesitated before translating for Link. The Hylian's eyes darkened, but his face remained impassive. Link finally spoke with a low voice that was not as hoarse as Kíli thought it would be for one who barely spoke. Gandalf's eyes widened at Link's words, and he hesitated before speaking to Thorin on Link's behalf.

"Master Link says that he did not ask to be a hero, but that he would not have you question his capabilities as he earned them through much trial and suffering. He desires no treasure for gold and jewels are meaningless to him. He also wishes to answer Mister Kíli's earlier question by saying that he has killed many dragons. He does not know how many lesser dragons he has killed, for they are far too numerous, but he has killed three greater dragons."

Link said something else, making Gandalf's eyes go wide like saucers. Kíli had never known the Wizard to ever be truly shocked by anything, and he leaned forward in anticipation to hear what Link had said to fluster the unflappable Gandalf. Despite how farfetched the idea was that Link could kill a dragon, Kíli had never known the Wizard to lie so he was forced to accept Link's claim.

Gandalf cleared his throat, nearly stuttering as he translated what Link said into Common. "Master Link killed his first greater dragon in its own cavern after killing an uncounted number of its spawn. He – he did this, when he was nine summers old."

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

**SapphireFireStar: Here you go, chapter 1! I don't normally update this fast, normally life gets in the way too much for timely updates, but I got lucky this time! I had the whole chapter from Link's POV but then I thought it would be much more interesting to have Link's first meeting with the company from their perspective since he'd be much more mysterious that way! I'll probably change perspectives a fair bit, but I'll always go back to Link.**

**On another note, this is going to be a story where Link is an absolute badass. As in, Link could stand toe to toe with Sauron and live to tell the tale. My reasoning is that Ganondorf is about equal to Sauron in power with the Triforce of Power, and Link has defeated him several times. **

**Link's Loftwing changed to match the Eagles of Middle Earth, but still kept some of it's Loftwing features. If it's easier to just think of it as a softer looking Eagle, then that's fine. I was trying to go for that but describing birds is surprisingly difficult.**

**I would like to thank Achman112, Kyuubi no Kitsune no Youko and LaliathElerrina for reviewing. You guys bolstered my spirits and gave me the motivation to keep writing when I was feeling lazy. Thanks so much!**

**P.S. I know that Link from OoT and TP are not the same people, but this is fanfiction so I'm making it that way. The shade will just be the spirit of the original hero.**

**P.P.S. My chapters vary in length. Some will be longer and some will be shorter, but I will try to make them each a couple thousand words in length.**


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone. **

**Normally, I don't like when authors leave whole chapters as A/N since it gets me really excited that a new chapter is posted only to leave me disappointed yet here I am doing exactly that.**

**Firstly, I'd like to apologize to my lack of updating. After I posted the last chapter, I moved across the country and then started back up for a summer term in university. I also decided to switch from Civil to Software Engineering so I've had a lot of catching up to do and I haven't had much time to write at all :( Combine that with writer's block and I don't have any new chapters posted in a long time.**

**I'd like to thank eternalenergy for getting me off my butt and also giving me some ideas for the next chapter. I've had the chapter half-finished for ages but I never felt it was good enough to post. I just finished midterms, so I should (hopefully) have a slight break from schoolwork.**

**I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted The Spirit of the Hero. You guys are amazing! I promise to try my best to get the next chapter up asap for you guys!**

**I feel bad about only leaving an author's note so here's a little teaser for the next chapter. Sorry if it's a little rough.**

It was not often that anyone was ever able to shock an entire company of Dwarves into silence. Sure, they could be quiet, sort of, if need dictates they be, but it is a rare occasion indeed when even just one Dwarf is rendered speechless.

Rarer still is when that same someone manages to actually _intimidate_ Thorin Oakenshield, the King-in-Exile. The Dwarf's harsh demeanor amongst outsiders was fierce enough to make even the ever-serene Elves feel discomfort, and his steely glare could make an Orc flinch under its harsh intensity. Balin had never met anyone, be he Man, Elf, Dwarf or otherwise, that was not affected by Thorin's rough attitude… besides perhaps Gandalf.

Speaking of the Wizard, never before had Balin ever seen anyone instill such profound respect from Gandalf the Gray, using only a letter written in a foreign tongue. It meant a lot when a Wizard believed someone capable of taking down a mighty dragon if he so desired. That in itself was even more strange than muting a Dwarf through disbelief and being impassive to the exiled king's rage.

And yet, this stranger, this _boy_, had managed to do all three of these near impossible things. Upon entering Bilbo's Hobbit hole the lad had simply handed Gandalf a letter, which resulted in the Wizard treating him like a long lost friend. Balin wondered what had been in that strangely scripted letter to make a Wizard _bow_ to this mysterious Link fellow and treat him with such kindness. Whatever it was, it must have been impressive indeed and he couldn't help but wonder if the lad had, in the process of writing the letter, embellished his acclaimed deeds to appear more capable than he was. For some strange reason, Balin found himself doubting that initial assumption as the night wore on.

After Gandalf's incredible and unbelievable proclamation of Link's skills, the entire room had gone eerily silent. The entire company had copied the Wizard's wide-eyed look as they stared at the young Hylian in shock. Link just stared back at them, entirely unfazed by the incredulous looks. Belatedly, Balin would remember turning his own flabbergasted gaze to the 'hero' and meeting a pair of defiant blue orbs that steadily stared back at him. Searching beyond the wild defiance, Balin could see a hint of something deeper, something darker. Not evil, Balin knew evil and Link was definitely not even close to being evil. No, Link's eyes held a dark, haunted look that left Balin breathless with their intensity.

Balin was not a stranger to pain, to grief, for he had survived both the fall of Erebor and the War leading up to the Azanulbizar against the Orcs of Moria. Many family members, friends and comrades had died while he had survived, yet his pain paled in comparison to the raw agony he could glimpse within Link's usually carefully guarded eyes. Only Thorin in his darkest moments showed as much pain and sadness as Balin was currently witnessing.

It was at that moment, staring into those eyes who had seen enough pain and heartache to last an Elf's lifetime, that Balin believed Gandalf's claim that Link was a hero. Despite his youth Balin could not deny that there was something about Link, something perhaps not of mortal means, which made him capable of standing toe to toe with a dragon and emerge victorious despite his obvious youth.

It had felt like Link had held Balin's gaze for a lifetime, but in actuality it was only a few seconds. Link must have realized that despite his stony facade, his eyes had given him away to Balin for quicker than the Dwarf could blink the Hylian's eyes were once again carefully guarded. Before any of the others in the room could recover from their daze, Link turned and quickly made his way out of the room. Balin marveled at the silence with which Link moved, despite being fully armed.

Even after the Hylian had left, no one said anything or moved from their place. The sound of the front door opening and closing was what roused the Dwarves from their trance-like state and everyone at the table shifted uncomfortably in harmony.

Balin searched for something to say. While he may believe that Link was something more than a mere swordsman, Balin's acceptance of the rest of Link's claims was still tentative at best. Despite how capable he thought Link to be now, it just didn't make sense for a child of nine summers to be able to kill a dragon. Balin could recall with vivid clarity the size of both Smaug and the desolation he had caused to Erebor and Dale. Trying to imagine Link fighting the dragon at his current age was stretching the limits of Balin's sensibleness, trying to imagine him doing the same feat while being even smaller than Bilbo was beyond Balin's grasp to understand.

"T-There's..." Kíli stuttered, unsurprisingly being the first to break the silence. "There's no way… no way he could have killed a _dragon_ when he was… when he was only nine!"

Balin wanted so badly to agree. Few Dwarves possessed any large amount of logic, and Balin was one of them. There was no feasible way Link's claim could be true. And yet, as Balin recalled the pained look in the Hylian's eyes, he hesitated in stating his disbelief. Not only that, the way Link acted practically screamed 'seasoned warrior' to anyone who cared to look for the signs. Despite the lad's youth, Balin had seen several times when Link's hand had twitched in the direction of his sword when there was an unexpected bang or one of the company so much as bumped into him accidentally. That type of instinctive reaction couldn't be faked.

"Of course he didn't," Thorin said gruffly, being the next Dwarf to recover his voice. "This _hero___is simply embellishing his abilities, if he has any to begin with, so that he may join our quest."

Unfortunately, Thorin's words snapped everyone else out of their silence and everyone was on their feet and shouting. Very few, if any, believed that Link had killed a dragon when he was only nine summers. Surprisingly, the opinions on whether or not Link _could_ kill a dragon and should join the quest versus simply wanting the reward was rather evenly split. If anything, the former opinion was in slight favour over the latter!

All of the arguing set off Gandalf's temper for a second time that night.

"SILENCE!" The Wizard shouted furiously as the air around him started to turn black from his magic. "STUBBORN DWARVES! You would turn away the one being that would kill a dragon for you with no questions asked? I will not hear another word against Master Link! In fact, should any of you speak so lowly of him as Thorin did, I will leave the company."

For the second time that evening, thirteen Dwarves were shocked into silence. Balin contemplated Gandalf's words. Clearly, the Wizard held much respect for Link, but why? What could Gandalf have possibly read in that letter that made him so willing to trust Link, a complete stranger?

Just who was this Link?


	4. Chapter 2: On the Road Again

**SapphireFireStar: Hey everyone, here's chapter 2! The first bit (up until the LoZ x The Hobbit marker) was previewed in the A.N., but feel free to read it again.**

_**The Spirit of the Hero**_

**Chapter 2: On the Road Again**

It was not often that anyone was ever able to shock an entire company of Dwarves into silence. Sure, they could be quiet, sort of, if need dictates they be, but it is a rare occasion indeed when even just one Dwarf is rendered speechless.

Rarer still is when that same someone manages to actually _intimidate_ Thorin Oakenshield, the King-in-Exile. The Dwarf's harsh demeanor amongst outsiders was fierce enough to make even the ever-serene Elves feel discomfort, and his steely glare could make an Orc flinch under its harsh intensity. Balin had never met anyone, be he Man, Elf, Dwarf or otherwise, that was not affected by Thorin's rough attitude… besides perhaps Gandalf.

Speaking of the Wizard, never before had Balin ever seen anyone instill such profound respect from Gandalf the Gray, using only a letter written in a foreign tongue. It meant a lot when a Wizard believed someone capable of taking down a mighty dragon if he so desired. That in itself was even more strange than muting a Dwarf through disbelief and being impassive to the exiled king's rage.

And yet, this stranger, this _boy_, had managed to do all three of these near impossible things. Upon entering Bilbo's Hobbit hole the lad had simply handed Gandalf a letter, which resulted in the Wizard treating him like a long lost friend. Balin wondered what had been in that strangely scripted letter to make a Wizard _bow_ to this mysterious Link fellow and treat him with such kindness. Whatever it was, it must have been impressive indeed and he couldn't help but wonder if the lad had, in the process of writing the letter, embellished his acclaimed deeds to appear more capable than he was. For some strange reason, Balin found himself doubting that initial assumption as the night wore on.

After Gandalf's incredible and unbelievable proclamation of Link's skills, the entire room had gone eerily silent. The entire company had copied the Wizard's wide-eyed look as they stared at the young Hylian in shock. Link just stared back at them, entirely unfazed by the incredulous looks. Belatedly, Balin would remember turning his own flabbergasted gaze to the 'hero' and meeting a pair of defiant blue orbs that steadily stared back at him. Searching beyond the wild defiance, Balin could see a hint of something deeper, something darker. Not evil, Balin knew evil and Link was definitely not even close to being evil. No, Link's eyes held a dark, haunted look that left Balin breathless with their intensity.

Balin was not a stranger to pain, to grief, for he had survived both the fall of Erebor and the War leading up to the Azanulbizar against the Orcs of Moria. Many family members, friends and comrades had died while he had survived, yet his pain paled in comparison to the raw agony he could glimpse within Link's usually carefully guarded eyes. Only Thorin in his darkest moments showed as much pain and sadness as Balin was currently witnessing.

It was at that moment, staring into those eyes who had seen enough pain and heartache to last an Elf's lifetime, that Balin believed Gandalf's claim that Link was a hero. Despite his youth Balin could not deny that there was something about Link, something perhaps not of mortal means, which made him capable of standing toe to toe with a dragon and emerge victorious despite his obvious youth.

It had felt like Link had held Balin's gaze for a lifetime, but in actuality it was only a few seconds. Link must have realized that despite his stony facade, his eyes had given him away to Balin for quicker than the Dwarf could blink the Hylian's eyes were once again carefully guarded. Before any of the others in the room could recover from their daze, Link turned and quickly made his way out of the room. Balin marveled at the silence with which Link moved, despite being fully armed.

Even after the Hylian had left, no one said anything or moved from their place. The sound of the front door opening and closing was what roused the Dwarves from their trance-like state and everyone at the table shifted uncomfortably in harmony.

Balin searched for something to say. While he may believe that Link was something more than a mere swordsman, Balin's acceptance of the rest of Link's claims was still tentative at best. Despite how capable he thought Link to be now, it just didn't make sense for a child of nine summers to be able to kill a dragon. Balin could recall with vivid clarity the size of both Smaug and the desolation he had caused to Erebor and Dale. Trying to imagine Link fighting the dragon at his current age was stretching the limits of Balin's sensibleness, trying to imagine him doing the same feat while being even smaller than Bilbo was beyond Balin's grasp to understand.

"T-There's..." Kíli stuttered, unsurprisingly being the first to break the silence. "There's no way… no way he could have killed a _dragon_ when he was… when he was only nine!"

Balin wanted so badly to agree. Few Dwarves possessed any large amount of logic, and Balin was one of them. There was no feasible way Link's claim could be true. And yet, as Balin recalled the pained look in the Hylian's eyes, he hesitated in stating his disbelief. Not only that, the way Link acted practically screamed 'seasoned warrior' to anyone who cared to look for the signs. Despite the lad's youth, Balin had seen several times when Link's hand had twitched in the direction of his sword when there was an unexpected bang or one of the company so much as bumped into him accidentally. That type of instinctive reaction couldn't be faked.

"Of course he didn't," Thorin said gruffly, being the next Dwarf to recover his voice. "This _hero___is simply embellishing his abilities, if he has any to begin with, so that he may join our quest."

Unfortunately, Thorin's words snapped everyone else out of their silence and everyone was on their feet and shouting. Very few, if any, believed that Link had killed a dragon when he was only nine summers. Surprisingly, the opinions on whether or not Link _could_ kill a dragon and should join the quest versus simply wanting the reward was rather evenly split. If anything, the former opinion was in slight favour over the latter!

All of the arguing set off Gandalf's temper for a second time that night.

"SILENCE!" The Wizard shouted furiously as the air around him started to turn black from his magic. "STUBBORN DWARVES! You would turn away the one being that would kill a dragon for you with no questions asked? I will not hear another word against Master Link! In fact, should any of you speak so lowly of him as Thorin did, I will leave the company."

For the second time that evening, thirteen Dwarves were shocked into silence. Balin contemplated Gandalf's words. Clearly, the Wizard held much respect for Link, but why? What could Gandalf have possibly read in that letter that made him so willing to trust Link, a complete stranger?

Just who was this Link?

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

_Link dropped down through the hole he had just created in the floor with his newly acquired bombs. Looking around, Link noticed that he was in a large, square room that had a bubbling lava pit in the center. Link felt the ground tremble as he heard a giant thump coming from behind him. The sound alerted him that he was not alone, so Link whirled around to see what nightmarish monstrosity he'd be facing this time._

_Link would never forget what was standing before him._

_It was a Dodongo, only much, _much_, larger than any he'd ever encountered. It was probably five times as tall as Link, maybe even six, and quite capable of swallowing the young hero in one bite. The horrific beast slowly lumbered towards him and the little blue orb that was Navi flew close to his ear._

"_It's the Giant Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo," Navi whispered to Link. "He'll eat absolutely _anything_."_

_Link was not remotely comforted by those rather obvious words, especially when he saw the gargantuan Dodongo take in a giant breath and raise itself up to its titanic height. _

_Link realized only too late that the King Dodongo was using the impressive display of his size as an attempt to distract Link from realizing that it was about to breath fire. A massive jet of flames shot towards Link and even from the distance he was from the monster Link could feel the incredible heat, hotter than even the lava he was standing next to._

_Link tried to dodge but he had been too late in noticing what was happening. The raging inferno was rapidly approaching him with a great roar and – _

"Master Link? Are you all right?"

In a fluid movement, Link had drawn his sword and was swinging it at his attacker's neck before he even realized what was happening. Only at the last second did Link realize that he wasn't being attacked and that it was only Kíli who was inquiring after him. Link tilted his hand back as he stopped and angled his swing so that the sword missed Kíli's face and instead pointed almost straight up.

Kíli, and Fíli who was standing right behind him, looked at Link in shock. Link's eyes were also wide at his actions and he quickly sheathed his sword and looked down in embarrassment.

Link regretted not understanding their language better, since at the current moment he couldn't even apologize to the Kíli for almost slicing his head off. He tried to show how apologetic he was with his eyes when he looked back up. Kíli seemed to understand as he nodded at Link before breaking out in a broad grin.

Fíli walked up to Kíli's side and shared a look with his brother, making sure he was okay first before he turned to address Link. They were both hesitant to approach the young Hylian after Link had stormed out of the meeting before any of the Dwarves could say anything about his revelation, as they were unsure if he was still angry at the company for questioning him. They couldn't deny Thorin though when he asked his nephews – more specifically Fíli – to go ask Link a question.

"It is alright," Kíli said slowly, interrupting Fíli before he even had a chance to speak. "Many Dwarves have similar reactions when startled from horrors of their pasts, although none have reflexes quite as quick as you. If I may be so bold, what memory did I wake you from? You're eyes were incredibly pained and…"

Kíli trailed off, obviously just remembering that Link didn't speak their language and probably wouldn't understand them. Link's grasp of their knowledge was improving in leaps and bounds and already he understood words and phrases that had confused him when he arrived. Even without knowing exactly what Kíli had said, Link could easily guess what the Dwarf had asked him. Link looked up at the stars, so different from the ones he knew, as he remembered that horrible day deep within the caverns of Death Mountain.

Link was slipping back into his memories when he caught Fíli nudge Kíli lightly out of the corner of his eye. Realizing that the Dwarves were probably uncomfortable with his silence, Link searched for something to say. He didn't know the language well enough to string together sentences, but after a moment he realized that he knew a few words that would do well enough for an explanation of his thoughts.

"Dragon," Link said softly as he lowered his head to look at the two brothers. "Fire breather… incineration?"

Link wasn't even sure if they'd understand what he was trying to tell him, especially since the words barely even made any sense to him. By the way both Dwarves eyes' widened, Link knew that they understood enough.

Link smiled sadly at the two young Dwarves before him when they failed to respond to his broken words. They were rightly horrified at Link's words and appeared to not have any of their own. Link felt mildly uncomfortable when after several minutes they still didn't say anything and, for once, tried to find something to say to break the quietness around him. Luckily, Fíli recovered himself and broke the awkward silence before Link could.

"Right," Fíli muttered quietly before clearing his throat uneasily. "Uncle wants to know if you have a horse or something. We only have ponies and they'd be a bit small for you and the only one left is the pack pony anyways so… ya."

Link understood only two words of that sentence, but it was enough. One of the few words that he knew from the moment he arrived in this world was what Epona was, since apparently it was the same as when spoken in Hylian. Link nodded in response to Fíli's question, but didn't say anything. He'd talked enough for one day. No one said anything for a while until several minutes later when Kíli decided to break the second silence of the night.

"We should go back inside. Uncle Thorin wants to leave early tomorrow morning so we should get some sleep." Not sure if Link understood, the young Dwarf beckoned for Link to follow him and his brother back into the Hobbit hole.

Link nodded again and followed the two brothers back inside Bag End. Kíli and Fíli stopped by the kitchen for another ale before joining the Dwarves in the living room. All of the Dwarves were now sitting by the fireplace and a few seemed to be humming.

Thorin started singing, and Link was deeply moved by the raw emotion he heard in his voice. He knew the pain of watching his home burn and living in exile must be great, but at that moment Link truly felt Thorin's tremendous grief as if it were his own. Many of the other Dwarves joined the song, the rest continued to hum or just sat there thinking, wondering about what trials they had yet to face. Link swore by the Three Goddesses who guided him, he would help these Dwarves reclaim their lost home.

Link would end Smaug's rein even if it cost him his own life.

After the song slowly came to an end, no one made any move to do anything. Thorin eventually looked up from the fire and caught Link's gaze. Link nodded in respect and as an apology for his short words to the proud Dwarf. Unsurprisingly, Thorin did not respond positively to the action but neither did he respond negatively. Rather, the Dwarf acted as if he did not see Link and turned to the rest of his company.

"Get some sleep," Thorin said quietly. "We leave at first light."

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

In the end, they didn't leave at first light. The Dwarves spent a long time waking up and getting ready since they were trying to be quiet enough to not wake the sleeping Bilbo. Then Gandalf suggested that they should probably clean up the mess they made so it was around an hour or so after the sun rose that the company of 13 Dwarves, one Wizard and one Hylian left Bag End and headed to the Green Dragon where the everyone but Link had their steeds and supplies. It took them another half hour to get everything settled there and it was a long while after the sun rose before the finally made it to the edge of Hobbiton.

"Wait," Kíli said as they crossed into the rolling fields when he noticed Link was still walking, "You said you had a horse. Where is it? Why are you still walking?"

Link smirked, guessing what Kíli was inquiring about before he pulled out the horse charm from beneath his tunic. Despite not loving her in a romantic sense, Link still kept the gift Ilia gave him as he still cared very deeply for her. Link blew into the horse charm, the melody singing out across the field and seemingly carried along the wind.** (1)**

"Lad, do you really think anything's going to hear that?" Dwalin asked after the whole company had stopped to look at him. "Even if your horse is right over the hill it wouldn't have heard it."

A distant neigh cut Dwalin off and sure enough, there was Epona charging over the top of the hill towards them. Link smiled at the awed looks they gave Epona. Why wouldn't they? With her reddish-brown coat that blazed in the sun, cream coloured mane and tail, and powerful limbs, she was the most striking horse Link had ever seen.

"By my beard," Dwalin said quietly, making Link's smirk grow just a little bit bigger at the awe in the fierce Dwarf's voice.

"It doesn't look like she's going to stop," Ori said nervously when Epona didn't slow from her gallop even slightly. The others quickly realized the truth in Ori's words and shifted nervously.

"Master Link!" Dori almost shouted when Epona was nearly upon him and not slowing at all. "Move out of the way! You're going to get trampled!"

Link didn't move from his relaxed stance despite the warning he guessed they were calling out to them. It wouldn't be the first time someone thought his horse was going to stampede over him. At the last possible second, Epona stopped sharply and standing before him still as a rock. Link rubbed her nose before circling to Epona's left side and swiftly climbing onto her back.

All around, Dwarves were looking at Link as if he had grown two heads. It annoyed him a bit so he called them out on it in Ancient Hylian. **(2)**

*You think I don't know my own horse? Epona would never trample me.*

Gandalf chuckled and moved his own horse closer to Link, responding in the same language. *That's a mighty fine horse you've got there, Master Link. You appear to have quite the strong connection to her.*

Link patted Epona's neck lovingly. *You'd never find a braver horse in all of Hyrule or Middle Earth.*

Normally, Link was not nearly so talkative. One of, if not the only, topic he would openly talk about was his wonderful Epona but even then he never said much.

The King-in-Exile was quick to get over his shock at watching one of the members his company nearly getting trampled before they even left the town, so Link did not have the opportunity to say anymore even if he were so inclined to.

"Let's get moving!" Thorin called from the front. "We have a long way to go."

Link and Epona ended up riding next to Bifur for a while, until Epona started to get restless. Link and Epona were used to cantering and galloping across Hyrule. Even with more bags than she usually carried, Epona wished to ride like that once again with her master. Link too was edging to really ride. He longed to feel the wind blowing through his hair and across his face, moving as one with Epona as they nearly flew across the earth.

Link was about to go ask Gandalf if he could ride ahead for a bit when a voice called out.

"WAIT! WAAAAIITTTT!"

It was Bilbo. Turns out he was going to come on their quest after all. Link was a little nervous for the Hobbit, unsure if Bilbo really knew what he was signing up for when he signed the contract, but smiled slightly at him regardless. After all, it wasn't like Link himself knew what he was signing up for when he set out on his first quest. They put Bilbo on a pony named Myrtle despite his protests and they were off.

Link stopped Gandalf as he moved back to ride beside Bilbo. "Gandalf," Link said quietly, giving the Wizard a look to convey the restlessness he and Epona were feeling at the moment. Epona's restlessness was quite obvious by the way she tugged at the reins slightly and snorted at him and the ponies and Gandalf quickly understood.

*Go on then,* Gandalf said, gesturing with his staff to the open forest surrounding them. *Don't go too far ahead. I doubt we'll run into any danger but since you don't know where exactly we're going you might get lost. I'll explain to Thorin after you've left.*

Link sent Gandalf a grateful look before he shifted his stance ever so slightly and nudged Epona with his heels. "Hiya!" Link called out to her and she shot out of the line as fast as an arrow and took off down the path. They flew past the others who gave shouts of surprise and a few ponies started a bit but nothing too serious. Link only noticed this in passing since he was too busy enjoying the feeling of riding for the sake of riding. It felt like he was back on his quest to save Hyrule, saving the world with the help of his faithful companion and friends. Link was on his way to helping and saving people once again and he couldn't be happier. It had been too long since his life had held meaning or direction, and it finally felt like things were settling into place.

It felt like Epona had gotten even faster since coming to Middle Earth. Perhaps Farore had also gifted her? It wouldn't surprise Link, and he welcomed the change. The two rode for a while, just enjoying each other's company as the world of Middle Earth flew by them. Sooner than he wished, they reached a fork in the road and Link knew they needed to turn around and head back to the others. It pained Link to make Epona stop when she was so clearly enjoying herself, but she listened to him easily when he finally asked her to stop and turn around.

*We have to head back now,* Link said sadly.

Epona whickered, letting Link know she understood before she set off at a light trot. Link took the time until he caught up to the company to enjoy the scenery and the quietness, since there was rarely any quiet when you were in a company of 15 others, never mind when most of them were Dwarves.

As he rode, Link contemplated the events of the previous evening from the moment the door opened when he arrived at Bag End. He really had no idea what to expect but he was still a little surprised to see just how _old_ Gandalf was. Link didn't allow the surprise to show on his face when he handed the Wizard the letter, as he knew better than most than to judge strength based on appearance considering flying _pots,_ of all things, had attacked him on his first journey. Not to mention the annoying Leevers that liked to inhabit Hyrule field and the Desert in the past. (3)

It had been mildly fascinating to meet Dwarves for the first time. The knowledge imprinted in his mind hardly did them justice. They were stout beings, these Dwarves, but even the smallest of them was fairly large if not slightly muscular. It was also easily apparent to Link by the lines on their faces that while many of these Dwarves had known much hardship and toil throughout their lives, they were still capable of laughter and making merry in the face of adversity. Dwarves were quite the sturdy and unmovable beings if Link's initial judgment of them was anything to go by, and he couldn't help but feel slightly envious of the sheer resistance to evil he could tell they possessed.

Link had carefully taken in each Dwarf in turn, noting how capable he thought them to be and whether they would be a help or a hindrance during the quest when they encountered any adversary. He had been pleasantly surprised to see that, unlike the Hyrule Castle guards, very few of the company fell into the latter category. Not all of the Dwarves were warriors, the overly large Dwarf with the long red beard was an obvious example of the fact, but Link knew better than most that one doesn't need to be a warrior to learn how to wield a weapon. He had been just a poor ranch hand when destiny had called him to defend Hyrule against Ganandorf, and before that only a forest boy, yet he became the hero that need – and the Goddesses – dictated he be.

Link had been slightly embarrassed when Gandalf greeted him with all of his titles, from both lives. He had accepted that the deeds he had done set him apart from everyone else, but deep down Link was still just a lost forest boy who was uncomfortable with being different. Link had been unable to stop a little bit of his embarrassment from leaking onto his face, which was a testament to how uncomfortable he felt since he usually had an iron grip on his emotions. He had to.

It had been obvious that the Dwarves were suspicious of him when he arrived, especially when he didn't disarm himself to eat. He didn't blame them as he was equally suspicious of many of them. Of the entire company, only Gandalf was at least partially trusted by him as the Triforce of Courage Link possessed sensed Gandalf's magic and he could feel that there was not an ounce of evil in the Gray Wizard. None of the others seemed evil, but as they did not have magic Link could not be sure and his battle-honed instincts were too strong to be willing to leave anything to chance.

Dinner had been a marvelous affair for the Dwarves, but Link did not join the festivities and instead opted to more carefully observe his future travelling companions. Despite feeling that his purpose in life was to save people from evil, he always felt incredibly uncomfortable around those he was trying to save. Part of it could be attributed to his choice of profession, but even as a child Link felt as if there were a barrier between him and the rest of the world. Only after he realized his destiny did Link realize that he truly was different from everyone else, and that he'd likely always be alone.

Well, other than Saria. Thinking of his childhood had brought back fond memories of his one and only friend. The green haired Kokiri girl had accepted Link despite him being fairyless and an oddity among the Kokiri. The closest thing he had left to remind him of her was the Ocarina of Time. The instrument had been nearly identical to the one Saria had given him when he left the forest for the first time, but sadly it had broken in his fight against Barinade and now he no longer had it. Every time he looked at the instrument he contemplated playing Saria's song but since she became a Sage because he could not bare the thought of not receiving an answer from his childhood friend.

Shortly after the spoils of the pillaged pantry were eaten and the dishes were cleaned and stacked, Thorin Oakenshield had arrived. Link had nearly been blown away by how authoritative and kingly the Dwarf had been when he walked in the door, even as he talked about getting lost. Only Princess Zelda had possessed such an aura and even hers was not quite so strong. The wolf inside of him had immediately been put on edge by the dominant presence and Link was hard pressed to stop himself from growling at the intimidating Dwarf and keep his face impassive when Thorin looked his way. When Thorin had raised his voice at him however, Link had been unable to entirely hold back the wolf that had perceived a true threat. For a split second, Link had been on the verge of changing when Thorin didn't back down and he dearly hoped that the others thought that they were just imagining things. Being able to turn into a wolf was a secret that didn't need to be shared just yet.

Before long, Link reached the rest of the company as they slowly meandered along the long trail to Erebor. The rest of the day passed quite uneventfully. Kíli and Fíli took great pleasure in informing Link about Bilbo's request for everyone to turn around because he forgot a handkerchief, with Gandalf acting as a translator. Link smiled a bit at that, but at the same time was worried that the Hobbit was going to be hopelessly lost if – no _when_ they ran into trouble. Only time would tell but Link sincerely hoped that Bilbo would be a fast learner when it came to staying alive in a fight.

Link decided he quite liked Fíli and Kíli. For Dwarves, they were fairly open about themselves and in a way were almost naïve compared to the others, especially in the amount of real combat they had participated in. They were rather cheerful, if a bit reckless if their 'adventures' that they talked about were anything to go by. Both brothers liked to talk a lot, Kíli slightly more so than Fíli, but they didn't mind if Link didn't really say anything back.

Most of the time.

"Master Link," Kíli said earnestly, "did you really kill a dragon when you were nine?"

When Gandalf, who was riding slightly ahead of Link next to Bilbo, translated the question, the light smile Link had been sporting immediately vanished. All of the Dwarves who had been speaking fell silent, trying, and failing, to be subtle as they attempted eavesdropped on their conversation.

Link only absently noticed this as his mind was again reliving that horrible day… days really, inside Dodongo's Cavern. There had been no fire resistant tunic to protect him from the heat of the lava like there had been when he went to the Fire Temple as an adult. Perhaps even worse, his Deku shield was burnt to crisp within the first hour of being there and the Hylian Shield he had bought was much too big to be of any use to him. Not that either shield would have protected him from the laser beam attacks of Beamos or the fiery breaths of the juvenile Dodongos. In short, Dodongo's Cavern was a fiery nightmare that he was not prepared for and would have given him many scars if it weren't for the healing power of the Great Fairy atop Death Mountain.

"Master Link?" Kíli probed cautiously.

Link started abruptly out of the fiery memories of his past. Epona snorted, aware of his discomfort. Link patted her neck reassuringly before looking at the dark haired Dwarf and nodding.

Instead of being deterred by his silence, Kíli pressed forward with more questions for Link.

"How big was it? Could it fly? How did you defeat it? What –?"

Fíli shut his brother off with a look, but that did not lessen the sheer eagerness in Kíli's expression. Link knew that Kíli, and the rest of the Dwarves, would not be satisfied without an answer so he forced himself to say something.

"It was large enough to swallow me whole, but thankfully it couldn't fly. I defeated it by throwing explosives into its mouth and hacking open the armor on its head until it died."

Link was so concerned with getting the words out as quickly as possible – in a feeble attempt to lessen their impact – that he didn't even realize that he was speaking in the Common Tongue of Middle Earth.

"How –?" Kíli started to ask, but again he was cut off. This time it was Gandalf who stopped the archer from pestering Link.

"Kíli!" Gandalf said sharply. "Cease your insistent inquiries.

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Perhaps not, but many would claim the same about our quest."

"Thorin, you have no idea what you are doing. Please reconsider."

"I have heeded your words, Gandalf, but my decision is made. If I am to trust the lives of my kin into his hands, I must make sure his hands are indeed capable."

"There are other ways."

"None that wouldn't put their lives at risk. This is the only way."

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

**LoZ x The Hobbit**

**Epona's song is googleable. I'm not going to try and describe the melody since I have no experience in such matters and would fail horribly at it.**

**There is a difference between Hylian and Ancient Hylian. Link knows both but his native tongue is Ancient Hylian. Gandalf knows Ancient Hylian.**

**Leevers are annoying little buggers from a few of the LoZ games. They don't do a lot of damage, but they're super annoying because they move pretty fast and have no pattern. They also appeared several times in Twilight Princess and made me have to keep doing a really easy quest over and over. Won't go into details, but for anyone who's played it's one of the Malo Mart Quests and you'll probably know what I'm talking about.**

**Again, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of my update. Unfortunately, I will not be able to promise a speedy update as exams are looming over the horizon and they (sadly) must be a priority. Sorry also that this chapter wasn't very meet filled, but sometimes chapters are just like that.**

**Btw, feel free to PM me at any time to get off my butt and write more. Part of the reason it takes me so long is cuz I want every chapter to be amazing for all you lovely people and I get disheartened when I think it sucks. Also, if you have anything you want to see in here, you can message me about that too and I'll try to work it out. I've also got a fb page that I just started, Tale of a Falling Star, that I plan to put all of my works on but so far only has this one. You can bug me there as well.**

**One more thing for all you guys and gals: If you want to see Link fight with a certain weapon, leave it in the review! There's gonna be lots of fights so I'll be sure to find something for any suggestion. Only rule is that is has to be from Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. A few common things from Skyward Sword like the sail cloth are okay too I guess, since he has a Loftwing *wink wink***

**Oh and eternalenergy, I tried to reply to your review but you've turned of PMs :( **


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